UN special negotiator for the FYROM name dispute, Matthew Nimetz committed a serious diplomatic and political blunder when he called the citizens of FYROM “Macedonians” during an interview on Skopje TV. Replying to a question, the negotiator said that the proposals he table during the talks with Greece “guaranteed and reinforced the national identity of the nation”. “You had the identity (Macedonian) when you were part of Yugoslavia, the Kingdom of Serbia, the Ottoman Empire”, he said.
During the interview, Mr. Nimetz addressed an expat of FYROM living in the US as “Macedonian” while he confirmed the 5 names that leaked to the FYROM media which all included the term Macedonia.